Welcome .Net 4.0, Windows Application Server (Dublin), and Microsoft's Modeling Platform (Oslo)
by Stephen W. Thomas
Today is a great day to be a BizTalk Developer! Why? Today Microsoft introduced .Net 4.0, Windows Application Server (code named Dublin), and Oslo (the new modeling platform).
Be some of the first people outside of PDC to see the new Microsoft offerings up close! I have put together the following videos that are now live on BizTalkGurus.com.
Consuming WCF Services in Workflow 4.0 – See how easy it is to consume WCF Services inside Workflow 4.0.
Flowcharts and Rules in Workflow 4.0 – See the new Flowchart Workflow in action.
First Look at Windows Application Server (Dublin) – If you do not watch anything else, watch this video. This video takes a look at the new Windows Application Server features.
First Look at Quadrant – Oslo’s Modeling Tool – Quick overview of the new modeling tool Quadrant. Take a look at the limitless potential.
First Look at M – Oslo’s Modeling Language – This video walks though creating a simple model using the new M Modeling Language. A simple Domain-Specific Language model is also looked at. How often do you get to see a new language?
What does all this have to do with BizTalk? EVERYTHING!
As you look though the various technologies one thing is consistent: take the best things of BizTalk and allow others outside of BizTalk to leverage it.
It is important to point out that these sets of tools are not designed to replace BizTalk but rather enhance the rest of the framework. BizTalk still serves a mission critical need as the Microsoft Integration Server and Adapter provider.
.Net 4.0
Looking around the totally new Workflow 4.0 designer, a lot can be seen that resembles BizTalk. For starters, the workflow surface looks a lot more like the Orchestration Designer.
Next is the Variable Window.
Most of the shapes have property-based configuration just like Orchestrations. Being a BizTalk Developer myself, working with Workflow 4.0 just made perfect sense to me. I was able to quickly pick it up and get tasks accomplished. This was all done with no additional coding just dragging and dropping shapes.
Windows Application Server (Dublin)
This is the feature that excites me the most!
Window Application Server (code named Dublin) is designed for WAS hosted WCF and WF applications. This provides a simple interface to import and export existing applications and a robust set of tools for monitoring.
Another important feature of Dublin is to provide a scale-out story for WF and WCF. Again, the look and feel is similar to BizTalk. I found it easy to find what I was looking for and the UI made sense to me.
Microsoft's Modeling Platform (Oslo)
What is Oslo? It is Microsoft’s new platform for model-driven applications. It consists of a tool, a language, and a repository. The end goal of Oslo is to provide a 10X increase in productivity.
Quadrant is the new modeling tool for Oslo. It looks like this:
(Click for larger image)
Quadrant can be used to model almost anything. Furthermore, code inside Quadrant can allow your models to do more than just look pretty.
M is the new modeling language for Oslo. You use Intellipad to develop in M. A sample model in M opened in Intellipad is shown below.
(Click for larger image)
Now this should not make a lot of sense to you because it is a new language with a new syntax. M is used to define custom models.
Now is a great time to take a look at the exciting new technologies coming soon from Microsoft.
Comments or Suggestions?
I welcome comments, questions, and suggestions. After all, this newsletter is about delivering content you want to hear about! Feel free to contact me through the forum or via e-mail.
Until next time...
Stephen W. Thomas -
BizTalkGurus.com
The Bottom Line:
Just do not understand why it takes me over 3 hours to record a 15 minute video... |
